Liggins leads five local picks on boys hoops all-league team

Century senior guard earns the area's lone
first team selection

That Jamel Liggins has been named a first team all-conference selection really is not all that surprising.

At the end of an impressive senior season, the dynamic Century point guard was tabbed as one of the top players in the Pacific Conference, as announced last week after a vote by the leagues coaches.

Liggins was the lone Hillsboro-area player to be named to the first team, though five local players joined him on the overall list.

Though slight in stature at 5-foot-7, Liggins loomed large on the court as one of the preeminent scorers in the league this winter. He averaged an impressive 18.6 points per game in 26 contests while shooting 42 percent from the field. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds and team highs of 2.5 steals and 3.5 assists per game.

Liggens led Century to an 8-18 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the conference, which slotted the Jaguars in fifth place. The team upset North Salem 54-47 in a road play-in game two weeks ago before falling 80-39 to top-ranked West Linn in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

Teammates Tanner Bull and Jordan Sheffer joined Liggins on the all-star squad as honorable mention selections. Bull, a 5-11 junior guard, was the teams second-leading scorer with 11.7 points per game and its third-leading rebounder with 4.0 boards per outing. The 6-3 Sheffer averaged 6.2 points per contest, as well as 1.6 assists and a team-high 5.4 rebounds as a senior forward/wing for the Jaguars.

A scoring threat every time out, Hilhi senior Tyler Fernstrom was picked to the second team  in fact as the top vote-getter on the second team. Fernstrom, a 6-0 guard, averaged 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and impressed Spartans coach Ryan Svenson with his ability to compete against taller opponents and rebound the ball.

As a player who developed into the Spartans reliable second offensive option, senior Blake Pearson was picked as an honorable mention nod. The 6-2 guard posted averages of 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. Hilhi went 5-20 overall and 3-11 in league play (seventh place) before falling to Grant in the play-in round.

Glencoe senior post Shayne Rixie also earned honorable mention honors. The Crimson Tide (5-20) finished eighth in the league with a 2-12 mark and fell to Lincoln in the play-in round.

League champion Tigard swept the top honors. Bryan Berg was named the most valuable player, while Nick Kaelin earned defensive player of the year honors. Tigers coach Shawn Alderman picked up the coach of the year award.